Which area was ruled by the Safavids?
The Safavid dynasty, (Persian: دودمان صفوی, romanized: Dudmâne Safavi) It was an Iranian dynasty, ruled Iran between 1501 and 1736 (or 1722 ), reasserting the Iranian identity of the region and establishing an independent Iranian state. The Safavid dynasty is descended from the Kurdish mystic Safi-ad-din Ardabili.
Were the Safavids religiously tolerant?
The Shiite Safavids were persecuted on religious grounds by the Sunni Ottoman Muslims. This treatment was a departure from the Sunni’s traditional religious tolerance. To protect themselves from powerful enemies, the Safavids concentrated on building a strong military.
What caused the Safavid Empire to decline?
The fall of the empire, in his view, was the result of a chance military conflict handled poorly by the central government, reflecting a structural weakness in the state. In other words, the Safavid Empire experienced a fall without a decline.7More recent works have emphasized the structural weaknesses of the empire.
Where did the Rig-Veda come from?
The Vedas are among the oldest sacred texts. The bulk of the Rigveda Samhita was composed in the northwestern region (Punjab) of the Indian subcontinent , most likely between c. 1500 and 1200 BC, although a wider approximation of c. 1700-1100 BC has also been given.
Who were the Safavid and where did they come from?
The Safavids were a dynastic family that ruled over modern-day Iran. They sustained one of the longest running empires of Iranian history, lasting from 1501 to 1736.
Where did the Safavids originate?
Safavid dynasty, (1501–1736), ruling dynasty of Iran whose establishment of Twelver Shiʿism as the state religion of Iran was a major factor in the emergence of a unified national consciousness among the various ethnic and linguistic elements of the country.
Who were the Safavids founded by?
founder Safi-ad-din ArdabiliSafavid history begins with the establishment of the Safaviyya by its eponymous founder Safi-ad-din Ardabili (1252–1334). In 700/1301, Safi al-Din assumed the leadership of the Zahediyeh, a significant Sufi order in Gilan, from his spiritual master and father-in-law Zahed Gilani.
Who did the Safavids conquer?
Safavids went on and conquered rest of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Khorasan; they became the strongest force in Iran, and their leader, Esma'il, now fifteen, was declared Shah (King) on 11 March 1502.
Why was Safavid Empire created?
It originated as a religious sect, and it acquired the military and political traits of an empire only after 1501. The Safavid Empire also differed from the Ottoman and Mughal Empires because it was an official Shi'ite empire. religious differences led to much hostility between the Safavids and its Sunni rivals.
How did Safavid Empire fall?
In 1722 Esfahan was invaded by Afghans who murdered Shah Sultan Hossein, and in turn the Ottomans and the Russians began seizing territories in Iran and the Safavid Empire came to a complete end in 1736.
How did the Safavids get their name?
The Safavids were named after their founder Safi al-Din, who died in 1334. The Safavids were of a Turco/Iranian origin; however, they claimed to be descendants of the prophet Muhammad when they emerged in the early 16th century.
What language did Safavids use?
Throughout the Safavid period there were two constants to Azerbaijani Turkish as a spoken language in Iran. First, it was and remained the official language of the royal court during the entire Safavid period.
What were Safavids known for?
In architecture, the Safavids commissioned mosques, mausolea, and palace complexes, restored major shrines, and contributed to sites of veneration and pilgrimage. Though Shah Isma'il is known to have built throughout the empire, only modest buildings survive from his reign.
What did the Safavids invent?
After this battle, the Safavids created artillery and other firearms to help in battle. This was in their best interest because of how effective it was in the Battle of Chaldiran. These new weapons in which they created involved portable rifles to heavy cannon.
When was the Safavid Empire founded?
December 22, 1501Safavid Iran / Founded
Where did the Ottomans Safavids and Mughals come from?
The three Islamic empires of the early modern period – the Mughal, the Safavid, and the Ottoman – shared a common Turko-Mongolian heritage.
How did the Safavids get their name?
The Safavids were named after their founder Safi al-Din, who died in 1334. The Safavids were of a Turco/Iranian origin; however, they claimed to be descendants of the prophet Muhammad when they emerged in the early 16th century.
What was the Safavid Empire AP world history?
The formation of the Safavid Dynasty marks the beginning of modern Iranian history. The Safavids replaced the Timurid Empire, a dynasty of Turkicized Mongols, and reunified a politically fragmented Iran, ruling from 1501 to 1736. It was the first native dynasty since the seventh century.
What were the Safavids?
According to historians, including Vladimir Minorsky and Roger Savory, the Safavids were of Turkicized Iranian origin:
What was the Safavid Dynasty?
The Safavid dynasty ( / ˈsæfəvɪd, ˈsɑː -/; Persian: دودمان صفوی , romanized : Dudmâne Safavi, pronounced [d̪uːd̪ˈmɒːne sæfæˈviː]) was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran from 1501 to 1736 .
What legacy did the Safavids leave behind?
Despite their demise in 1736, the legacy that they left behind was the revival of Iran as an economic stronghold between East and West, the establishment of an efficient state and bureaucracy based upon " checks and balances ", their architectural innovations and their patronage for fine arts. The Safavids have also left their mark down to the present era by spreading Twelver Islam in Iran, as well as major parts of the Caucasus, Anatolia, and Mesopotamia .
What countries did the Safavids rule?
The Safavids ruled from 1501 to 1722 (experiencing a brief restoration from 1729 to 1736) and, at their height, they controlled all of what is now Iran, Azerbaijan Republic, Bahrain, Armenia, eastern Georgia, parts of the North Caucasus, Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, as well as parts of Turkey, Syria, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan .
What language did the Shahs speak?
By the time of the establishment of the Safavid empire, the members of the family were Turkicized and Turkish-speaking, and some of the Shahs composed poems in their then-native Turkish language. Concurrently, the Shahs themselves also supported Persian literature, poetry and art projects including the grand Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp, while members of the family and some Shahs composed Persian poetry as well.
Where did the Azari family originate?
It is probable that the family originated in Persian Kurdistan, and later moved to Azerbaijan, where they adopted the Azari form of Turkish spoken there, and eventually settled in the small town of Ardabil sometimes during the eleventh century.
Who wrote the Safavi order?
The hagiography of the founder of the Safavi order, Shaykh Safi al-Din Safvat al-Safa written by Ibn Bazzaz in 1350-was tampered with during this very phase. An initial stage of revisions saw the transformation of Safavi identity as Sunni Kurds into Arab blood descendants of Muhammad.".
Where did the Safavids travel?
This encouraged pilgrimages across the great stretch of the Safavid empire, in places such as Karbala and Najaf, two cities in central Iraq. Shi’a Islam is still the official state religion of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Safavids are therefore widely known for bringing this historic change to the region.
What was the Safavids' art?
Complex, ornate palaces. The art of the Safavids is simply magnificent. The Safavids were a dynastic family that ruled over modern-day Iran. They sustained one of the longest running empires of Iranian history, lasting from 1501 to 1736.
What is the most exquisitely illustrated Shahnameh of all time?
In 1522, the Safavid royal library of Shah Tahmasp produced the most exquisitely illustrated Shahnameh of all time, now known as the “Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp.” Royal manuscripts such as this were highly collaborative enterprises that brought together miniaturists, illuminators, calligraphers, poets, scribes, and gold sprinklers. The Court of the Gayumars is renowned for its precision of line and attention to the finest of detail, whether in the rendering of a flowering tree or the sable fur lining the robe of the enthroned king.
Why did the Safavids create a cohesive visual identity?
Because the Safavids forged an empire of vastly different regions, each with unique artistic tastes and styles, early Safavid artists worked diligently to create a cohesive visual identity that nevertheless reflected the diversity the new Safavid dynasty controlled.
What was the main religion of the Safavids?
Soon after the Safavids rose to power, they established Twelver Shiism (the largest branch of Shi’a Islam), as the official religion of their dynasty. This distinguished the Safavids from their neighboring and rival empires—the Ottomans (to their west in Turkey), and the Mughals (to their east in India). The Ottomans and Mughals adhered ...
Why was the Ardabil carpet commissioned?
The Ardabil carpet was commissioned for the shrine of Safi al-Din, the founder of the original Safavid order who was also a Sufi sheikh.
Who was the Safavid miniaturist?
Here, Bihzad helped establish the birth of a new Safavid aesthetic—a hybrid of the colorful expressionism and naturalistic rendering of the dynasties that preceded the Safavids.
Safavid Empire
The Safavid Empire, which was founded as a political dynasty in 1501, was the second Great Islamic Empire to form. It originated as a religious sect, and it acquired the military and political traits of an empire only after 1501. The Safavid Empire also differed from the Ottoman and Mughal Empires because it was an official Shi’ite empire.
Who were Safavids?
Safavids (1501–1736), the dynasty that took control of Persia in the early 16th century, is often considered the beginning of modern Persian history.
Shah Abbas I (r. 1588-1629)
In 1588, Abbās I (the great) was crowned. Realizing the limits of his military strength, Shah Abbas made peace with the Ottomans on exceptional terms in 1590 and directed his destructive attacks against the Uzbeks. Meeting with little success, Abbas engaged in a major army reform.
Fall of the Safavid Dynasty
After Shah Abbas the Great died in 1629, his successors ruled for about a century, but, except for an interval during the reign of Shah Abbas II (1642–66), it was a period of decline.
Safavid Art
Usually in Iran, the royal family and people from the upper social classes applied for works of art and helped it to flourish. The Safavid kings were also lovers of art, and some of them, such as Shah Tahmasp I and prince Sam Mirza, were themselves expert artists and held art in high esteem.
Overview
Genealogy—ancestors of the Safavids and its multi-cultural identity
The Safavid Kings themselves claimed to be sayyids, family descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, although many scholars have cast doubt on this claim. There seems now to be a consensus among scholars that the Safavid family hailed from Iranian Kurdistan, and later moved to Iranian Azerbaijan, finally settling in the 11th century CE at Ardabil. Traditional pre-1501 Safavid manuscripts trace the lineage of the Safavids to the Kurdish dignitary, Firuz-Shah Zarrin-Kolah.
Safavid Shahs of Iran
• Ismail I 1501–1524
• Tahmasp I 1524–1576
• Ismail II 1576–1578
• Mohammad Khodabanda 1578–1587
Culture
The Safavid family was a literate family from its early origin. There are extant Tati and Persian poetry from Shaykh Safi ad-din Ardabili as well as extant Persian poetry from Shaykh Sadr ad-din. Most of the extant poetry of Shah Ismail I is in Azerbaijani pen-name of Khatai. Sam Mirza, the son of Shah Ismail as well as some later authors assert that Ismail composed poems both in Turk…
See also
• Khanates of the Caucasus
• List of Shi'a Muslim dynasties
• Persianate states
• Safavid art
• Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam
Bibliography
• Blow, David (2009). Shah Abbas: The Ruthless King Who Became an Iranian Legend. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-0857716767.
• Jackson, Peter; Lockhart, Laurence, eds. (1986). The Timurid and Safavid Periods. The Cambridge History of Iran. Vol. 6. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521200943.
Further reading
• Christoph Marcinkowski (tr.),Persian Historiography and Geography: Bertold Spuler on Major Works Produced in Iran, the Caucasus, Central Asia, India and Early Ottoman Turkey, Singapore: Pustaka Nasional, 2003, ISBN 9971-77-488-7.
• Christoph Marcinkowski (tr., ed.),Mirza Rafi‘a's Dastur al-Muluk: A Manual of Later Safavid Administration. Annotated English Translation, Comments on the Offices and Services, and Facsimile of the Unique Persian Manuscript, Kuala …
External links
• History of the Safavids on Iran Chamber
• "Safavid dynasty", Encyclopædia Iranica by Rudi Matthee
• The History Files: Rulers of Persia
• BBC History of Religion